The Obligatory New Year’s Resolutions Post

New Years Eve is almost here (ah no way), which means everyone is making their list of resolutions.

Let’s look at that word for a minute. Resolution. According to Dictionary.com, a resolution is a formal expression of opinion or intention made, usuallyafter voting, by a formal organization, a legislature, a club,or other group. The majority of the time resolutions are solutions, people trying to fix things.

So when people make New Years Resolutions, they usually do with the idea in mind that they need to fix some quality about themselves. Maybe it’s to lose weight, or stop cursing. Maybe it’s to pick up a hobby, or to be more social.

We know that resolutions are made because we want to better ourselves, we want to change. The time that seems most appropriate is, of course, the start of the new year. And I get that. I want to change for the better too.

However, I think we as a society should change our approach to the resolutions. Everyone should stop viewing their resolutions as a way to “fix themselves.” Instead, think of your resolutions as “promises.”

We make promises to other people ALL THE TIME. (Whether we keep them or not, well that’s a different story). Why not make promises to ourselves? We’d be more driven to keep them, because no one wants to be disappointed in themselves.

I also suggest that we make one resolution at a time. Start off small. One promise per month. If you’re good at it, keep it up. Add more to your list of changes. See how much you can handle. You know, baby steps.

For example, my first promise for the new year is to drink water every day. Next month, I’ll add another promise.

I hope everyone has a Happy New Year!

Surviving No Pants November

It is officially December 1st. I am free!

For those of you who don’t know what No Pants November is, here’s a quick run-down: With a concept similar to No Shave November/ Movember, No Pants November states that you must go without pants for all 30 days. I don’t think this is anything official, but it was something my friends came up with when I studied abroad. My roommate and I decided to do it this year.

This is a feat that would be much easier for women than men because we have a wider variety of clothes for the fall/winter season, unless a guy plans on wearing a kilt.

One of the challenges of No Pants November is that I do not own a pair of leggings. I do not believe leggings are an acceptable form of clothing, unless they are those awesome liquid-leather looking ones. If I did have leggings (like my roommate) I would’ve had a much easier time with this event.

With the exception of one work day (where khaki pants are necessary for the uniform) I braved the indecisive November weather without pants. This means I wore dresses, skirts, and shorts with tights, boots and legwarmers. Layers are key to surviving. Sometimes you’ll look good, and other times you’ll look like a buffoon.

Me & my Trojan-attired friend Zach. Rocking the no-pants.

Unfortunately that’s the only picture I have of my trials.

I wouldn’t recommend doing this if you have a regular steady work job that requires a specific dress code. Things can get really complicated, especially if you run out of clothes or forget to do laundry for a week or two.

But for those interesting in trying this out for kicks, below are the rules & regulations my roommate and I agreed on:

1. No Pants November means no pants. The exceptions, however, are when you need pants for a job, or working out at the gym.
2. Sweatpants & pajama pants are acceptable ONLY IF worn inside the house.
3. Since leggings are not pants, you can wear them.
4. The event starts on November 1st and ends November 30th at 11:59 P.M.

The best part about No Pants November is sharing the idea with your friends. You’ll get a kicked out of the outfits they’ll pull together and watching them fight through the cold.